commercial art glass hotel boulderado

Hotel Boulderado

A Commercial Stained Glass Restoration Project

commercial art glass hotel boulderado

Commercial Stained Glass is honored to have completed a successful restoration for Hotel Boulderado’s iconic stained glass ceiling. Built in 1909 in Boulder, Colorado, Hotel Boulderado has remained a truly historic landmark renowned for its Victorian charm and Rocky Mountain elegance. Approximately 40 years ago, the original stained glass ceiling started to experience sagging and other structural issues due to age and gravity. Hotel Boulderado contracted the rebuild of its stained glass panels with a local artist. Unfortunately, the stained glass artist didn’t properly account for the weight of the glass, causing the stained glass to fail just a few years later. Since their stained glass ceiling is housed about 60 feet above the foyer, the situation was quite dangerous and required an immediate solution. That’s when the hotel manager contacted us to properly restore their incredible stained glass ceiling.

Stained Glass Restoration Project Scope and Challenges 

The stained glass ceiling has steel structure framing with individual art glass panels installed from above. With approximately 80 different stained glass panels, each panel needed to be removed and individually restored. A proper reinforcement structure also needed to be installed in order to address safety concerns and minimize the risk of sagging. Since their stained glass ceiling is so iconic, it is often pictured in all of the weddings held in this hotel. This posed a major challenge since the hotel refused to have missing panels in their ceiling throughout their wedding season. 

In order to address this challenge, we decided to replicate one panel for every size and shape variation. We manufactured new panels that were created with the closest matches in glass color. Once the replicas were created, we began removing the ceiling panels in batches of seven. We used the replicas as placeholders as we restored the original paneling. Every two to four weeks, our team would reinstall the restored panels, remove the new batch of seven panels for restoration, and install the replicas in their place. The entire process took about seven months to complete. Once all of the original stained glass panels were reinstalled, we replaced all the structural bars and created a more structurally sound system for holding all the glass panels. 

The newly restored stained glass ceiling is expected to last 100-150 years. We gave the hotel all of our replica panels in case of accidental damage. We’re humbled to have been able to ensure this gorgeous stained glass ceiling remains as one of the main attractions for this historic hotel.  

Work with the Nation’s Leading Commercial Stained Glass Restoration Specialists

We welcome you to visit the Hotel Boulderado the next time you’re in Boulder. The incredible original stained glass ceiling offers so much beauty and historic charm. We love the opportunity to preserve pieces of art and pay homage to the original artist. Proper restoration is the only way to ensure that your treasured stained glass can be appreciated by future generations. 

We would love the opportunity to properly preserve your commercial property’s iconic stained glass. Schedule your free consultation today!